Excitement
by Aiko Yamarashi
Summary: "You're really tall, you know?" "And I can throw you across the quad, you know?" Lucy said Levy needed more excitement in her life.
1. Princess Levy

Title: Excitement

Summary: "You're really tall, you know?" "And I can throw you across the quad, you know?" Lucy said Levy needed more excitement in her life.

Pairing: GaLe/Gajevy

Note: My first story for the Fairy Tail fandom. Enjoy! I do not own Fairy Tail, anything associated with it, or any other familiar brand names or popular series that might pop up. This is strictly fan-based.

* * *

"Lu-chan?" Levy called while searching the empty room for her roommate.

Her eyes landed on the desk at the side of the room. Lucy, ever the aspiring author, left her most recent attempt at a novel open for the eye to see on top of her desk. Curious, Levy walked over and picked up the stack of papers, skimming over them. After all, Lucy said she'd let her edit it.

"_Just when Princess Levy thought all hope was lost, she peered out the window of her tower for her Prince Charming once again, hoping he'd be riding up on horseback to free her," _Levy read inwardly, quirking an eyebrow higher with each word.

"Lu-chan!" Levy yelled, adamant for an answer about what she was reading. "What the hell is this?!"

Lucy walked into the room, drying her hair with a towel. "What the hell is what?"

Levy spun around and shoved the pages in Lucy's face. "You're making me the subject of your next novel? I never agreed to this!"

"Well, you said you wanted to edit it," Lucy giggled, taking the papers from Levy and stacking them neatly on her desk. "What are you doing in my room anyway?"

"That's beside the point! I said I wanted to edit your novel, not be in it!" Levy followed Lucy wherever she walked in her room, hot on her heels.

Lucy spun around and bumped into her. Rubbing her head with one hand, she pushed Levy back with the other to sit on her bed while she continued to get ready. "What's the big deal, Levy? Is it such a crime that I wanted to write about my best friend's life?"

"But that's not my life!" Levy slammed her hands on the bed for emphasis. "I'm not some fairytale princess! And really, a tower? Isn't that kind of over-done?"

"It's just a start," Lucy defended, combing out her hair in front of the full length mirror on her closet door. "And I had to spice in up a bit. After deciding to write about you, I realized your life isn't the most interesting thing in the world. You're an English major, a total bookworm, and started up the only book club on campus; you don't really have anything exciting going on."

"I can be exciting!" Levy said, jumping up. "I mean, my hair's _blue_! How much more exciting can I get?"

"Levy, I'm not saying you're not an exciting person. All I'm saying is that you don't really have anything exciting going on right now. We were wild in high school, sure, but we're in _college_ now. I don't blame you for wanting to focus on your major, and that can mean sacrificing a few things." Lucy watched Levy react behind her in the mirror.

Levy ground her teeth and clinched her fists, ready to throw a tantrum. With her small size and high-pitched voice, tantrums were her strong suit. But, being the new college woman that she was, she took a deep breath and released the tension from her body. Perhaps Lucy had a point.

"I guess I have gotten kind of soft," Levy admitted, scratching the back of her head. "Maybe I do need a little more excitement in my life. College is when all that is supposed to happen, right?"

Lucy smiled at her roommate in the mirror. "Levy, I just want you to do what you're comfortable with. Don't let me, my novel, or anything else change that about you, okay?"

Levy returned her smile and hugged her from behind. "Alright, Lu-chan. But if you're going to write about me, at least make it a good story."

"I will try and do you justice," Lucy promised, turning to face her. "So, why exactly were you in my room in the first place?"

Levy laughed sheepishly. "I wanted you to print out the sign-up sheets for the book club so that I could lay them out at our booth later."

"What's wrong with your printer?"

Levy avoided the blonde's questioning gaze.

"…You printed out too many online book coupons and ran out of ink again, didn't you?"

"Maybe."

Sigh. "Fine. Use my printer."

XxX

The activities fair was Levy's favorite part of college when she was a freshman the year before (aside from starting up a book club on campus when she realized the campus didn't have one), so she was excited to be a part of one of the booths this year, advertising the book club she started. Standing on a ladder, she looked down to admire their table and tarp with all the papers stacked up neatly lining it. All that was left to do was hang the banner across the top of the wooden slats attached to the table below her, and their set up would be complete. Posters were for chumps.

"Levy-chan, don't fall!" Droy called from beneath her.

"Yeah, we won't know what to do without our club president!" Jet added next to him.

Honestly, her boneheaded friends acted like she was on a tightrope above the whole campus. Although, it would hurt if she hit the concrete from her height, so she passed on scolding them.

"I'll be alright. I'm almost done!" Levy assured them.

After fastening this one side, she just had to move the ladder to the other side and straighten out the banner. This would be a lot easier if they had more members. Currently, there were five: Jet, Droy, Lucy, Freed, and herself. But the flashy banner they had would hopefully change everything. They painted it themselves, and who doesn't love hand crafted decorations?

"Where are Lucy and Freed?" Jet asked.

"They wanted to check out the rest of the fair, so they're going to come join us later," Levy explained, finishing her tape job on the first side of the banner. "All done over here!"

"Careful when you come down," Droy warned, holding a death grip on the ladder.

Levy just shook her head and was going to start her descend before she realized the tape was coming up. She wrapped another layer of duct tape around the pole, just in case.

"You idiot, she'll be fine! She's not as dumb as you," Jet said, smacking Droy for emphasis.

Droy faltered into the ladder, shaking it a bit just as Levy tore off the piece of tape she was working with. She teetered at the top.

"Be careful down there," she warned, descending the ladder.

"Look what you did," Droy said, shoving Jet. The action shook the ladder once again.

Levy looked over to see the commotion and warn her bickering friends that they'd make her fall, when she lost her footing and slipped the last couple of steps, effectively twisting her ankle and sending her to the concrete sidewalk below.

"Levy!" her friends called to her as she smacked the concrete.

The concrete wasn't as hard as she expected. It felt like it had a soft coating and was really warm. She also felt like she was still elevated…

Levy opened her eyes, not realizing she had squeezed them shut, and met the red eyes of a man she didn't recognize. His tall stature and long, wild black hair blocked out the sun, allowing her to effectively see his face, which exhibited piercings along his eyebrows, nose, lip, and all the way up both ears. She was tempted to count them all until it dawned on her that she was curled up in the arms of a stranger.

"You alright there, pipsqueak?" his voice thundered over her. It was deep and gritty.

"You're really tall, you know?" she stated, voicing the first thing she could think to say.

"And I can throw you across the quad, you know?" he retorted, moving to set her down next to the ladder she fell off. Jet and Droy looked dumbfounded.

"Sorry, I'm just…I…thanks," Levy sputtered, hopping out of his arms. Her ankle rolled underneath her in the process, and she hit the concrete anyway, despite her rescuer.

"Man, you were just dying to taste asphalt today, huh kid?" the mysterious man asked, squatting down to give her a hand up.

"I'm not a kid," she grumbled. "I'm twenty."

"Shorty," he snickered, hoisting her to her feet.

"Crap," she hissed, looking down at her scraped knee and swelling ankle, bracing herself against the man.

"Yeah, you really did a number on that leg," he said, helping her hobble over to sit on one of the steps of the ladder.

"Levy, are you okay?" Jet and Droy asked in unison.

"Yeah, I'll be alright," she assured them, rubbing her throbbing ankle. "Can you guys go get me an ice pack and a first aid kit or something?"

"Yes ma'am!" They both saluted and ran off, blaming each other for the mess on the way out.

"Do they always do that?" the stranger asked, following her friends with his eyes.

"More often than one would think," she giggled before hissing at the pain in her ankle.

"I'd stay off that ankle until the swelling goes down," he advised, examining her injury with a raised eyebrow.

"Thank, doc," she said, gently putting her leg down. "You an aspiring medical student?"

"Hardly," he scoffed. "I'm here for music production."

"That sounds neat. I'm an English major here; I want to edit books one day—"

"I didn't ask for your life story," he cut her last word short, glancing at her with narrowed eyes and his arms crossed.

He was an intimidating character, no doubt, but Levy was short and scrappy. She could nibble on his ankles or jump on his back and cover his eyes until he begged for mercy if she needed too.

She blew some hair out of her face. "I don't suppose your sticking around to sign up for the book club?"

He shook his head. "Reading isn't really my thing."

There it was; the typical answer everyone always gave her.

"I see," she sighed.

"If I'm giving you the wrong impression, I guess I'd better go," he said. As if on cue, a woman with blue hair called out to him, motioning him over to her. "See you around, shorty."

Before he got too far away, she yelled at his back, "I'm Levy, by the way! Thanks for helping me!"

"Gajeel," he tossed over his shoulder before he was out of earshot. Then, he disappeared into the sea of college students.

Levy glanced from the half hung sign to the ladder, down to her swollen ankle and bleeding knee, and then settled on the crowd of people her savior disappeared into.

Lucy said Levy needed more excitement in her life. She wasn't sure if this is what she meant or not.

The sound of the banner falling behind her broke Levy out of her thoughts. She cussed under her breath. Perhaps posters _weren't_ for chumps.

* * *

**Short, I know, but it's only the first chapter. More to come!**

Reviews are love!


	2. Kingdom

**A big thanks to all of the people who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. You are all lovely! Anything you want to see? Any questions you have? And suggestions on how to make it better, just let me know. I enjoy constructive criticism as well!**

"Levy, what happened?!" Lucy asked as she ran up to the chair Levy was sitting on beside the book club table.

Her ankle was propped up on another chair across from her, wrapped with an ice pack resting against it. Jet and Droy returned soon after her savior disappeared and babied her until her ankle was taken care of and she refused to move anymore.

"I fell," was all Levy said, sparing Jet and Droy from Lucy's wrath if she had told her it was all their fault.

"I am so sorry! I should've got here sooner!" Lucy squatted beside Levy's ankle, examining it. "Does it hurt?"

"The ice is numbing the pain, and not walking on it really helps," Levy explained, thrusting a clipboard with the sign-up sheet for the club attached to it at a passerby. "Jet and Droy fixed me up." She scowled when the person ignored her.

"Good job, guys!" Lucy told the pair, slapping both the men on the back.

"Thanks, Lucy!" Jet said, attempting to rub the sore spot on his back. "We'd do anything for Levy."

"Yeah, unlike that guy who just left her sitting on the ladder and walked off," Droy added. "What if she fell again?"

"Guy?" Lucy asked, shooting the question at Levy.

"Yeah, some guy I never met before caught me when I fell off the ladder," Levy told her, shoving her clipboard at more people.

"Woah, there's a lot of things that aren't adding up here," Lucy said, running a hand through her hair. "First, you told me you fell. You didn't say you fell off the _ladder_."

"Oh, yeah," Levy said, only half paying attention.

"And if this guy caught you, how'd you hurt your ankle?"

"I hurt it on the ladder." Levy glared at the retreating students again. "And then fell when he put me down."

"And that's how you hurt your knee, right?" They both examined the bandage on her knee.

"Yup. Sign up for the book club!" she shouted at the passing students. They all ignored her and continued down the path.

"Levy, focus!" Lucy shouted, shaking the bluenette by her small shoulders to get her attention. "Who's the guy that saved you?"

"I told you, I've never seen him before." Levy smacked the blonde's hands away from her. "I'm a little busy here, Lu-chan."

Lucy pursed her lips as her roommate went back to ignoring her. Leaning over to whisper in her ear, she asked, "Was he hot?"

Levy twitched at the sudden closeness and whirled on Lucy, nearly colliding forehead to chin. "Lu-chan, please! If you're not going to help then leave."

Lucy sighed, figuring she could wait to get answers out of Levy later. "Fine, Levy, but we're not done here." She snatched a clipboard off of the table.

"He wasn't that great," they heard Jet muttered, followed by an affirmative grunt from Droy. Levy's eye twitched as Lucy glanced back at her.

Shrugging it off, Lucy started thrusting the clipboard at the passersby. "Sign up for the book club! Hey, hey you! You know you like books! Come on, how can you say no to two cute girls? Hey you! Don't say no to a cripple!"

"Lucy!" Levy shouted, offended. She had to shut her up.

"Yes?" Lucy asked, turning to her best friend.

"He was hot."

Lucy jumped around giddily and then proceeded to chase people down the sidewalk with her clipboard. They weren't getting any new members today.

XxX

Later that week, long after the depressing activities fair (in which they still got no new members), Levy's ankle and knee made enough of a recovery that she was back to spending all of her time in the library. With Lucy working on a new romance and nothing to do, or eat, in their dorm, Levy figured she'd distract herself with her favorite thing: free books.

She sat in her favorite spot in the rather large room: the far back right corner in the science-fiction section. Most people didn't come to the library except to use the computers or copy machines. If they came to check out books, they'd always be somewhere in the nonfiction section gathering books for their reports. Hardly anyone checked out books just for the fun of reading, and the few who did venture into the fiction section understood not to disturb people when they were reading. The science-fiction section got the least amount of traffic because hardly anyone on their campus ever read it. And in the far back right corner, behind aisles and aisles of endless books, nobody could see small little Levy. That was just the way she liked it.

Bright red reading glasses on and nose shoved in a romance novel that Lucy had been pestering her to read, the bluenette almost didn't notice the presence that joined her. They would've gone completely unnoticed if they hadn't casted a shadow over her book.

Levy looked up and caught a sight of someone's right arm, decorated with scars. Her eyebrows knitted together as she traced up the arm with her eyes until she noticed the long, messy black hair.

"Nice glasses, shrimp," a gruff voice came from the figure, glancing down at her out of the corner of his eye.

Levy fell back on her hands, casting the book aside. "It's you!"

"Wow, already forgot the name of the man that saved your life?" he asked, turning to face her, his red eyes staring menacingly into her hazel ones.

"N-No!" she stammered, sitting up and dusting off her tight black pants, trying to compose herself. "It's Ga…Ga…Ga ha ha?" She grinned sheepishly.

He rolled his eyes, returning his attention to the shelf. "Really?"

She grabbed her novel and opened it harshly. "Oh, and like you remember my name?"

"Levy," he said automatically, pulling a novel off of the shelf and reading the back of it.

"Yeah?" she asked, turning to him.

"Your name is Levy," he repeated, giving her a sideways glance again.

So he did remember her name. Scratching the back of her head, she focused her attention on her book again, trying to think of a way to dig herself out of this awkward situation.

"Gajeel," he interrupted her thought process. He put his book back and began searching for another.

"What?"

"My name is Gajeel."

"Oh, right!" she shouted before remembering she was in a library and lowering her volume. "You know, it would've been easier to remember if you had told me sooner or stuck around longer."

"I remembered your name," he said, finally deciding on which book to get. He cracked the small paperback book open and leaned against the shelf.

"Well, I also think my name is easier to remember," she said, studying the book in his hands. "Lord of the Rings?"

"I've always meant to read it, but never had the patience," he admitted, taking a seat next to her.

"This is kind of my spot," she muttered, not really thinking he heard her. She owed him for catching her, and she didn't really mind the company if he was actually going to read. Plus he smelled good. Not that she intentionally sniffed him or anything. Just an observation.

"First you complain that I didn't stick around your little table, and now you want me to go?" he asked, not taking his attention off the book. "Make up your mind, squirt."

"Do whatever you want," Levy sighed, trying to get back to her novel.

"You're just craving attention aren't you?" he asked, slapping his book down in his lap. "You're trying to use that woman logic crap on me where you say one thing and really mean another, aren't you? Well, let me tell you something, shorty: I—"

"If I were craving attention, why would I be sitting in the loneliest corner of the library reading a book and hoping that nobody sees me?" she effectively cut him off, whipping he head toward him.

Gajeel's mouth opened and closed a couple of times.

"Nothing to say now, _Gajeel_?" she stressed his name, proving to him that it stuck with her this time.

"Whatever, shorty, I'm just trying to kill some time," he said, reopening his novel. "And I'm going to do it here. In _your_ spot."

"Oh, you heard that?" she asked, a light blush rising to her cheeks. "I didn't really mean that you had to leave."

"Good," he said, crossing his ankles out in front of him, "because I'm not gonna."

"Fine," she said, returning to her book as well.

Silence fell over them for a few minutes before Levy broke it.

"I'm kind of glad you found me," she admitted, closing her book and placing it in her lap. "I'm really grateful that you showed up and caught me. That whole situation could've turned out a lot worse. Thank you, really."

"You know, for a bookworm, you talk a lot," he said, not looking up from the page.

Levy scowled at him, knowing it would go unnoticed. When he looked up, her expression changed to a smile.

"Why are you staring at me?" he asked, cocking an—

Holy shit. He didn't have eyebrows; just three piercings above each eye that functioned as his eyebrows.

"You don't have eyebrows," Levy blurted out, then slapped a hand over her mouth.

Gajeel scoffed and looked back at the cover of his book that was now closed in his lap. "Genetics."

"I am so sorry," Levy whispered through her fingers. "Sometimes I just blurt things out and—"

"It's fine," he chuckled, ruffling her hair. "No big deal."

Levy fussed with her hair, trying to fix the headband in it while staring down at her lap. It's like she didn't have a filter anymore. After Lucy told her to start being more honest, Levy blurted things out sometimes, forgetting she wasn't with her best friend who would always forgive her.

"Hey, do you want to go get some coffee or something?" Levy asked while tightening the band wrapped around her hair. "You know, as my way of repaying you for the other day and I guess keeping me company while my roommate is out gallivanting with her new man candy?"

When Gajeel didn't respond, Levy turned in his direction to see if he was listening, her hands falling out of her hair.

"If this is your way of asking me out, you're not really my type." He threw a smirk in her direction, his red eyes looking over her.

Levy resisted the urge to cover herself, trying to look offended instead of embarrassed. "I wasn't asking you out! If you don't want to come, I'll just go get some myself."

She stood up with a huff, throwing her purse over her shoulder and stomping over to the romance section where she got the book from. She couldn't make a dramatic exit if she had to stop and check it out at the front desk.

Halfway down the aisle, she heard him call, "Wait up, shorty!"

Turning around, he was only a few steps away from her, his long strides not needing much time to catch up with her short ones.

"No, no, I don't want you to get the wrong idea," Levy said, violently shoving the book back in its place on the shelf. She continued to stomp off toward the front doors, but her exit was made less dramatic by him easily keeping up with her.

"Come on, shrimp," he said, grabbing her by the arm and halting her, nearly knocking her over with his tug. "I like the idea of free coffee."

Levy rolled her eyes, slipping her small elbow out of his grasp and leaving the library. Gajeel kept up easily.

"Not gonna disappear this time?" she asked, quickly glancing up at him with narrowed eyes.

"Wouldn't dream of it shrimp," he said, giving her a pointy grin.

xXx

"So, let me get this straight," Gajeel said, setting his coffee down on the small table between them. "Your roommate—"

"Lucy," Levy reminded him.

"—right, Lucy—wants to date Salamander?" Gajeel grinned and shook his head. "I don't think that guy even knows the first thing about women."

"And you do?" Levy asked.

"I'm still trying to figure some stuff out, but I guarantee I know more than him." He took a sip of his coffee.

"So why do you call him Salamander, again?" Levy quirked an eyebrow and played with the cardboard sleeve on her coffee cup.

"Long story," Gajeel explained. "In the orphanage where we grew up, he kept playing with fire."

"That explains almost nothing."

"Hey, I didn't give him the nickname."

They both shared a laugh and drank from their cups. The pair had been sitting in the small coffee shop for nearly an hour. Levy told him about when she died her hair blue, how she was valedictorian at her high school, and how she started the book club on campus. When she ran out of things that she thought were relevant about her, she started talking about Lucy. Gajeel admitted that he was raised in an orphanage where he met Natsu, Lucy's pink haired new crush, and Wendy, a girl they treated like their little sister. He also told her that he worked in a body shop on Saturday mornings and that he'd been writing his own music for about five years now. They also both discovered that they pretty much have the same circle of friends.

"Well, anyway, now that she spends most of her free time trying to figure out if he likes her, I spend most of my time in the library to distract myself from our empty dorm," Levy said, tracing the rim of her coffee cup with her pointer finger.

"Being alone isn't so bad," Gajeel said, shrugging. "Natsu and I never really did much together unless we were fighting, and my friend Juvia stopped paying attention to me after she developed this strange obsession with Gray."

"Aw, is Gajeel lonely?" Levy teased him in a baby voice, reaching over to pinch his cheek. He nearly bit her.

"No, I like being alone," he told her. "What about you, shrimp? You're over here complaining that Lucy's not paying attention to you."

"I want Lu-chan to be happy! Plus there's always Jet and Droy I can hang out with."

"You mean those two weird guys that made you fall off the ladder?" Gajeel cocked a pierced eyebrow.

"That would be them," Levy sighed. "I have other friends, too! I'm just not as close with them."

"Well, why not hang out with those two idiots?"

"They both intend to marry me one day."

"That's a hell of a competition."

Levy rolled her eyes. "It isn't going to happen. But, back on topic, I'm not lonely. Being alone gives me time to read."

"Well, I guess if you ever get too lonely, shorty, you and I can go do something together," Gajeel offered nonchalantly.

"If you haven't been listening to us talk for the past hour, you and I have nothing in common," she told him. "Why would you want to hang out with me?"

Gajeel shrugged. "You're pretty cute."

"Are you hitting on me?"

"Of course not. I just meant you're a cute person. Don't get a big head now, squirt."

Levy rolled her eyes. "I guess I can take you up on that offer."

"Look at it this way." Gajeel leaned closer. "Your roommate thinks you need more excitement in your life. Who better to help you with that than me?"

Levy chewed on her lip, thinking of all the things Lucy could say to her. "Deal."


	3. Trusty Steed

**You guys are lovely. Thank you to all of the people who reviewed, favorited, and followed. Sorry for the late update, but I've been trying to get back into my college habits. I promise I'll try to develop a regular updating schedule where you don't have to wait as long!**

* * *

"I don't know about this, Gajeel," Levy said, looking skeptically at the large black motorcycle displayed in front of her.

"Come on, shrimp," Gajeel said, slapping her on the back. "Taste the adventure."

Levy rubbed her new sore spot. It had been a few weeks since their talk at the coffee shop, and Gajeel was determined to give Levy an extra dose of excitement in her life. Every time Gajeel even brought up so much as a scary movie, Levy shot the idea down instantly and made an excuse to go do something else. This time, Gajeel had surprised her, and he wasn't taking no for an answer.

"But what if it flips over or something?" she squeaked. "Do you even have helmets?"

Gajeel took a black motorcycle helmet off the handlebars and plopped it on Levy's head. It engulfed her small skull easily. Her small face was barely visible.

"What about you?"

"You're not driving it yet, so I think I'll be alright," he said, shooting her a smirk.

"What do you mean _yet_?"

"Hop on!" Gajeel slapped the visor on her helmet down and dragged her closer to the bike.

He threw his leg over, straddling it, and then offered Levy a hand. She took it skeptically and climbed onto the seat behind him with great effort.

"Where are we going?" Levy's muffled voice could hardly be heard.

"Wherever the hell we want." And with that, Gajeel revved the engine and took off without giving Levy any warning.

She grabbed onto him for dear life. She could've sworn she could feel him chuckling.

The longer they road, the more Levy began to relax, which was to be expected. His long black hair tickled her exposed shoulders and arms as she clung to him. Soon, she eased back enough and opened one eye to see the images passing around her in blurs. They weren't going extremely fast, but it was enough to make her heart race. She was glad she settled for her white capris and orange tank top that day instead of something like a skirt.

She couldn't help but wonder where he was taking her. Parts of campus zoomed past them everywhere she looked, but he showed no signs of stopping even when they reached the edge of the campus.

"Where are we going?" she shouted in vain. She knew he couldn't hear her through the muffled helmet, rushing wind, and roaring engine.

She sighed and tried to relax, telling herself over and over that he wasn't trying to kidnap her. After all, she had only known this man for a few weeks. If getting on a motorcycle going who knows where with a guy she'd barely met wasn't adventurous, then what was?

After about ten more minutes of driving, Gajeel pulled into an empty parking lot and kicked down the kick stand, shutting off the engine. Levy still clung to him, unsure of what his intentions were.

"You alright back there, shorty?" he asked over his shoulder, prying her arms from around his waist. "Woah, not so tight. People might actually think you like me."

Gajeel snickered at his joke, but Levy just sat there dumbfounded on the back of the bike, blushing under the helmet. What did he mean by that? She did like him to an extent. She thought he was a relatively nice person. Sure, she still didn't know much about him, but she liked him well enough to get on a motorcycle. Is that what he meant? She always thought about things too much.

"Shorty?" Levy returned to reality to see Gajeel standing next to the bike and snapping his fingers in her face.

She stumbled backwards, nearly falling off her seat. Gajeel grabbed her shoulders, steadying her, and then helped her off.

"You almost bit it," he chuckled, stripping the helmet off her head.

She shook her hair out and fussed with it, fearing she had helmet hair.

"You're fine," he said, ruffling her hair as if he knew what was going through her head.

"That thing is so stuffy," she said, wiping her hands down her face and smoothing her hair. "I don't know why you haven't gotten a new one yet."

"This one makes me look mysterious," he explained, spinning the helmet in his hands and then placing it on the handle bars. "The ride wasn't so bad, was it?"

"I enjoyed the breeze," Levy shrugged, stretching. She had some serious muscle cramps from holding on so tight.

"Well, I've got something for you."

"You do?" she paused her touching her toes to look up at him while still bent over.

He reached in his pocket and then dangled a chocolate bar in front of her face.

She stood up straight, and he raised the chocolate bar with her, keeping it at eye level.

"A chocolate bar?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I figured I'd give you a treat if you did well," he said, giving her a menacing grin. She was sure those grins were meant to be sincere.

"I'm not a dog, Gajeel," Levy told him after a brief moment of silence, snatching the chocolate bar from his hand.

"Never said you were," he said, patting her head. "But you still took the treat."

Levy bit her lip in thought, staring down at the candy in her hand. She had a wicked idea. A smirk etched onto her face as she looked up at Gajeel deviously.

"What's that look for?" he said, raising a pierced eyerbrow.

"We'll see who the real dog is," she told him.

"Wha—"

Before his question was fully formed, Levy shouted, "Fetch!" and threw the candy bar as hard as she could across the parking lot. She was impressed how far it went, given her tiny noodle arms.

"What the hell, shrimpy?!" he shouted, squeezing her head in his hands. "Don't treat me like some damn dog!"

"You did it to me first!" she yelled back. "Ow, ow, ow! Gajeel let go!"

"I bought that specifically for you!"

"You're squeezing my brain!"

"Is this how you show your gratitude for me helping you spice up your little boring life?!"

"I'm starting to lose hearing!"

Gajeel let go of her and she stumbled.

"You…you…butthead!" she yelled.

"Man, maybe I did kill a few brain cells." A smirk found its way onto his face.

Levy attempted to punch him in the arm, but he caught her small hand, his large, calloused ones easily engulfing hers. He pulled her to him so that their bodies touched. He leaned closer to her until his breath hit her face and stared her down.

"Go fetch the treat, or I won't play with you anymore," he said lowly. Despite his words, his tone actually gave her a chill.

"So you're actually going to treat me like a dog now?" she asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

He released her and stepped back. "The way I see it, you need to grow out of the defenseless puppy phase. That's what I'm here for. That's what our little adventures are going to do for you. I'll treat you like my little pet until I feel like you've progressed enough to be wild out on your own."

"…You're shitting me, right?"

"Defiance. That's a step in the right direction." He patted her head. "Now fetch."

"And if I refuse your little game?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Then you can go on about your little bookworm life, and tell your roommate that she was right about you," he said. "You can go tell her that there really is nothing interesting enough about you to write about."

"You really think that?" she asked. She felt a shard of pain somewhere within her, but tried to brush it off.

He sighed. "Just play along, shorty. I'm trying to help you out."

The softness in his voice warmed her enough to shrug it off and walk over to where she threw the chocolate bar. The only thing she had to lose was her dignity, right? And, honestly, how much of that did she have left?

"Happy?" Levy asked, waving her treat in front of his face.

He pushed her hand down and patted her on the head. "Ready for your next task?"

"What would that be?"

Gajeel threw something at her that she reflexively caught. It was a set of keys.

"What are these for?" Levy asked.

"You're driving this time." Gajeel winked at her and threw his leg over the back of the bike, patting the seat in front of him.

"Oh _hell_ no!"

* * *

**Yeah, kind of short, but I promise I'll update a little more regularly. And the next chapter will be better! I love all of you!**


	4. The Grand Ball

**Seriously, thank you for all of the support! I promise to keep updating, so don't lose faith in me!**

* * *

Levy didn't know what she was doing in a foggy, cramped fraternity house. What she did know was that Lucy made her wear a sleeveless orange and black tank top and a black mini skirt (thank goodness Lucy still allowed her to wear her beat-up orange Converse, or the blonde would have been bald). She was still coughing up smoke from the fog machines while she leaned against the counter in the kitchen amongst the making-out couples, avoiding most of the loud music, aside from the thumping bass, and flashing, blinding lights.

She lost Lucy a long time ago in the crowd of sweaty, dancing bodies, even though she apparently wanted to talk about Levy's motorcycle adventure from the day before (in which she convinced Gajeel to not make her drive,—even in the parking lot—and he took her to get ice cream for not screaming whenever he sped).

Levy sighed and grabbed a pretzel off of the table in front of her. A couple bumped into her in the midst of their furious make-out session and made her drop it right as she was about to pop it into her mouth.

"Breathe!" she yelled at them, hoping to get them out of her personal space. They ignored her, causing her to scramble to the table in front of her, hoping none of the partners would decide to mutilate the snacks.

"You look like Halloween," a gruff voice beside her said, and then his large hand reached into the chip bowl in front of her.

By now, she recognized the voice, but the scars running up his right arm were a good indicator, too.

"How do you always manage to find me, Gajeel?" Levy asked, munching on a pretzel while staring blankly into the bowl.

"I honestly didn't expect to find you here, shorty," he said, leaning next to her. "What brings you to a place like this? Deciding to be adventurous without me now?"

Levy rolled her eyes, nudging him with her arm. "Lucy brought me here. She said it was just going to be a few of our close friends. She never told me it was at a frat house."

"She fooled you." He nudged her back. "Juvia dragged me here. She didn't want to go alone."

"I didn't ask for your life story," she nearly cut him off, darting her eyes in his direction.

He cocked a pierced eyebrow. "What the hell did you just say to me?"

Levy held her serious face for about two more seconds and then busted into a fit of giggles. "Sound familiar?"

Gajeel sighed. "I don't remember it, but it sounds like something I've probably said to you at some point, right?"

"Bingo," she said, tapping him on the nose. He nearly bit her.

The two stuffed a few more snacks into their mouth until Gajeel broke the silence by asking, "So, you don't feel awkward at all knowing that you were in a room by yourself surrounded by people sucking face?"

"Eh, they were less annoying than all the people sticking to each other in there," she motioned to the front of the house where most people were dancing. "Besides, you're here now."

"Does that mean you want to make out with me?"

"Not at all."

"Even though everyone's doing it?"

"You sound like you're the one that wants to make out with me," she said, nudging him in the ribs.

"You're cute, shorty, but not that cute," he told her, ruffling her hair.

Levy let out a frustrated dinosaur noise and began the process of retying the headband in her hair. "What do you mean not _that_ cute?"

"It'd be like kissing a child," he said. "Can't do it."

"So if I had bigger boobs?"

"You keep yourself up at night asking yourself that question, don't you?"

"Damn, you see right through me," she said sarcastically. Although she has thought about more times than she'd like to admit. She felt like the flattest girl in the entire university.

"Your figure is fine," he said, shrugging.

"Did you just check me out?"

"I check everyone out; don't flatter yourself."

Levy shook her head, stuffing more pretzels in her mouth. Gajeel couldn't just give her a simple compliment, could he? Although he's probably never given anyone a simple compliment in his life.

"Levy!" Lucy ran in and grabbed her by the shoulders, a pink-haired man following behind her. "What are you doing in here?"

"Oh, you know, I wanted a place to remind me that I'm alone," Levy said, shrugging. "Don't worry about me."

"Knock it off!" Lucy smacked her arm. "Come on, come dance with me and Natsu."

"No thanks." She managed to slide out of Lucy's grip. "I wouldn't want to be a third-wheel."

"Don't worry about it!" Natsu chimed in, coming around on the other side to slide an arm around Gajeel. "Gajeel will come with us!"

"I will cut you," Gajeel growled. Natsu was persistent.

"You never dance with me!" Lucy complained, clutching Levy's wrists.

"I can't dance!" Levy reminded her. She always felt so awkward when it came to dancing, like she wasn't quite moving the way other people were moving. And when it came to dancing with guys, forget it. She could barely manage a slow dance.

"You're fine! Come on!" Lucy kept tugging on her. "Do you really want to be stuck in the awkward make-out room?"

Honestly, she didn't. It was gross and sweaty, but that's pretty much what the entire house was like. She did, however, want to stay where the food was.

"We can come back for snacks later," Lucy told her, knowing what she was thinking.

Finally, Levy grew tired of fighting and allowed Lucy to drag her along, just like she always does.

* * *

The rest of the house was musty, and the flashing lights gave Levy a headache. They stayed as far away from the fog machines as possible, fearing smoke inhalation. Lucy danced wonderfully, staying in time with every beat, all of her movements flowing effortlessly. Natsu bounced around a lot, but somehow, it was still a perfect dance style. Levy danced as best as she could, swaying with the beat and watching Lucy, occasionally trying to mimic one of her movements. Gajeel just stood with them, arms crossed.

"Come on, Gajeel, move!" Nastu said, bouncing circles around him. After Gajeel nearly tripped him, he decided the crowd was too dense to start a fight.

Lucy attempted to dance with Gajeel, grinding closer to him. He moved his hips a little, but barely moved. After an entire song, Lucy gave up and went back to dancing closer to Natsu.

"If I have to do this, so do you!" Levy yelled at him over the music, knowing the other two were oblivious to them now.

"They're in their own little worlds now," he called back. "I'm getting out of here."

Levy caught his hand. "You know they're just going to search for us again."

She watched Gajeel sigh and resume his stance, watching Natsu and Lucy out of the corner of his eye. Natsu was head-banging, and Lucy was swiveling her hips.

Levy grabbed Gajeel's arms while he wasn't paying attention and attempted to make him sway with her. He looked at her skeptically, watching only his arms move. The pleading look in her eyes almost made him give in. _Almost_.

Levy sighed and let go, spinning around and dancing by herself. She was gonna look like a dork anyway, so might as well pull out all the stops. She spun and jumped and body-rolled and did every possible dance move she could think of, all the while feeling Gajeel's eyes on her.

In the middle of her dance, she stopped and looked at him. He made no effort the hide the fact that he was watching her. After a brief staring contest, he shook his head, snickering, and walked closer to her.

"You win this round," he said in her ear, the sudden closeness making her shiver.

Gajeel wasn't the best dancer, but he could keep time. He never danced offbeat, but his movements were bulky and not very creative. Anyone could tell by watching him that he didn't enjoy dancing. He motioned for her to join him, and she laughed spinning around and coming closer.

When the two of them were dancing, it felt like everyone was watching them, even though, in reality, it was probably only Natsu and Lucy paying any attention to them. They were by far the biggest pair of dorks there. Gajeel was actually _laughing_ because their dancing was so strange. He grabbed her hand, spun her around, and then pulled her closer. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around his midsection, giving him the tightest hug she possibly could. He returned it with a few pats on the back before he led her back into the kitchen.

"You really are trying to be adventurous without me, huh?" he chuckled, pushing some of his sweat-matted hair out of his face.

"I figured I might as well just let go," Levy shrugged, chugging a bottle of water. "It's not like any of those people were watching."

"I was," he said, snatching the water from her.

"Stop, you're going to get your germs all over it!" she whined when he took a sip.

"Oh, boo-hoo," he mocked, throwing the bottle at her. "You so wanted to kiss me anyway."

"In your dreams!" she shouted, punching him in the chest. "You're the one who keeps bringing up the idea."

"I'm just trying to get you to say what's been on your mind," he teased. "Come on, what was that hug out there?"

"A hug!" she laughed. "It's something I give to my close friends. I know it's probably a foreign concept to you."

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "You're _so_ into me."

"You _wish_!"

"I told you shorty: you're cute, but not that cute."

Levy rolled her eyes. "This conversation is over."

"Sure it is," he winked, stealing the water bottle from her again.

"Gajeel!" she snapped, jumping for the bottle when he held it over his head.

"Reach for it!"

"Give it!"

Right as Levy landed from her previous jump, a new couple making out stumbled in, bumping into Gajeel's back. This caused him to stumble forward and trip over Levy's feet, bringing both of them to the ground. Levy him the tile floor, Gajeel crashed on top of her, and the open water bottle plummeted down and soaked both of them.

"Geeze, these people have no respect," Gajeel mumbled, rubbing his back. "You alright, shorty?"

He looked down at her to see her staring straight back at him. She didn't say anything.

"Shorty, you're kinda creeping me out," he said, lowering his voice. "Are you alright?"

Still, she didn't answer.

Gajeel sat up, still barely hovering over her. He tapped her face lightly with his fingers. "Levy?"

"Gajeel," she mumbled. "Why is it so bright?"

Then, he eyes closed and her head rolled to the side.


	5. Midnight

**Might as well right more while I'm on spring break! Thank you all SO so much for the support.**

When Levy opened her eyes, there were blurred splotches of white and bright lights all around her. It really hurt to turn her head, but she couldn't tell if the pain was internal or external.

"Owwy," she muttered, bringing her hand to her forehead, but brought it up too fast and ended up slapping herself. She groaned.

"Easy, Levy!" she heard her roommate's voice.

"Lu…" she tried to say before her roommate shushed her.

"Rest up," Lucy instructed. "You took a nasty fall."

"I did?" Why wouldn't she remember something like that?

"You don't remember?" Lucy sounded so worried. "Well, you _were_ unconscious on the floor by the time I got there, so I guess it shouldn't surprise me too much. You have a small bump on your head, but no blood."

"What about the party?" All of Levy's words came out slow and slightly slurred as she tried to return to full awareness. It was as if she were drunk.

"Still going on pretty strong," Lucy explained. "We're in one of the rooms upstairs."

"I'm sorry I pulled you out of the scene, Lucy."

"It was getting really hot anyway, don't worry. I was so worried about you!"

"I'm slowly coming to my senses," Levy sat up halfway before Lucy helped her the rest of the way. "Where are Natsu and Gajeel?"

"They helped get you up here," Lucy explained. "Gajeel carried you and Natsu found the room. I think they're still standing guard somewhere nearby."

"Gajeel carried me?" Levy asked, trying to imagine the thought. Sure, the two have been getting closer recently, but it's still hard to imagine him being a rescuer.

"I think he's taking a liking to you, Levy." Lucy winked at her. "Gonna get with that?"

"What?" Levy choked on nothing. "What the hell are you talking about? Ow!" Her head was still throbbing.

"Easy there, girl! I was just messing with you. No need to blush."

Levy covered her face. "Knock it off!"

Suddenly, the door flew open with a worried looking Natsu streaming in and Gajeel close behind.

"We heard yelling!" Natsu proclaimed. "Everything alright?"

"We're fine," Lucy told him, flashing him a dazzling smile. "Levy is starting to feel better."

"Damn, you worried me, shorty," Gajeel told Levy, taking a seat on the edge of the bed beside her. He placed an ice pack on the back of her head.

"Tch, you _worried_?" Levy scoffed. She tried to take the ice pack from him, but only ended up overlapping Gajeel's hand when he didn't let got. She felt the heat rise to her face after memories of what Lucy said flashed through her mind. She shot Lucy a look, who winked at her in return. That didn't help.

"I'll hold on to this," Gajeel broke her awkward silence.

Levy quickly snatched her hand away, slapping Gajeel in the process.

"You have a knack for injury, huh?" Natsu chuckled.

Lucy elbowed him in the ribs. "We're gonna go let everyone know you're okay. There are some pretty worried people downstairs."

"Thanks, Lucy," Levy flashed her as big a smile as she could manage. Then, the thought of her and Gajeel being alone after all those comments she had made swept through her mind. "Wait!"

"Don't worry, Levy! Gajeel's going to take good care of you," Natsu assured her before closing the door behind him and Lucy.

Then, they were alone. Levy slowly turned to face Gajeel, a clinched smile plastered on her face. She laughed nervously.

"What?" Gajeel deadpanned.

"Nothing." More nervous laughter.

"Keep it up and your head won't be the only thing that hurts," he threatened, narrowing his eyes.

Levy's expression dropped into a glare. "What's your problem?"

"My problem?" Gajeel cocked an eyebrow. "I was just wondering why you're being all awkward."

"Just an interesting night I guess," Levy sighed.

"Tell me about it," he chuckled. "I thought I killed you when I landed on top of you."

"You landed on top of me?"

"Wow, you don't remember?"

"No, not really."

"Damn, kid, you scared me," he sighed, running his free hand through his hair.

Levy laughed quietly. "I'm sorry."

"Just…get better," he told her. "You need anything?"

"I'm good," she said, lying on her side with her back to him. "What a night, huh?"

"Yeah," he chuckled.

There was a moment of silence, and then Levy felt something warm press against the back of her head, right next to the ice pack.

"What was that?" she asked, trying to see his face out of the corner of her eye.

"What?"

"Hm, never mind."

XxX

Levy woke up the next morning with a throbbing headache. Also, she had no idea where she was, but she was fairly certain the dark room she was in wasn't hers.

"Anyone here?" she whispered into the darkness, although she was afraid of someone answering. No one did.

The sheets made a shuffling sound as she shifted out of the bed she was laying in, trying to find a safe spot to land on the floor. There were little slants of light coming through the window, so it looked like she was somewhere in the dorms, and the outside lights in the courtyard were streaming in. Her foot hit something warm and squishy instead of the floor. She let out a loud squeak and withdrew her foot when she heard a groan.

"What's the big idea?" a deep, gruff voice asked.

"Who's there?" Levy whisper-yelled into the dark.

"Shorty?"

"Gajeel?"

Another voice groaned beside her, this time causing Levy to shriek and slide off the bed.

"Ow, Levy!" Gajeel muttered from underneath her. Her sudden fall caused her to fall right on top of Gajeel.

"There's someone up there," Levy whispered, not caring about the current situation. "Go get it."

"It's Lucy," Gajeel told her. She could almost hear his eye twitch. As if to confirm his statement, Lucy sighed from above them on the bed.

"Oh," Levy giggled nervously. "Wait, where are we?"

Gajeel flipped Levy onto the floor next to him, causing her to moan in pain. "We're at Gray and Natsu's dorm. It was the closest to the party, and you and Lucy had both fallen asleep, so we just came here. We're in Natsu's room right now."

"Wait, why are you in the girls' room?"

"Natsu snores like a lawn mower, and Gray strips in his sleep. I'd rather hear all the shrieking in the morning when Lucy realizes I stayed with you guys than have to deal with that all night."

"Good point," Levy sighed, relaxing next to him. "Sorry I fell on you."

"I fell on you earlier," he chuckled, nudging her. "You know, you could fall on me with no clothes on next time."

"Gajeel!" she slapped his chest. "What happened to, 'You're not that cute,' huh?"

"You're cute enough for a good bang."

"You better be kidding." She slapped him again.

He caught her hand and kept it on his chest this time, chuckling. "Don't worry, shorty, I am."

"Better be," she grunted, laying on her side and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Getting comfortable?"

"You're kind of like a big teddy bear."

"Sure, that's not a blow to my manhood," he said sarcastically, situating his arm underneath her to wrap around her shoulders and pull her closer.

"Gajeel, thanks for all the help you've been offering me lately," Levy said, throwing the blanket that was over him around her as well.

"Don't go getting all chicky on me now," he groaned. "We're friends; it's what we do. Now drop it."

"Can't you get in touch with your emotional side more often?" she complained, stabbing his chest with her finger.

"Emotional, huh?" Suddenly he was on hovering over her, his legs on either side of her and his dark hair surrounding them, blocking whatever light was in the room. "How's this intimacy?"

"This is animalistic, not intimate," she said, though her voice was meek. Her heart was pounding in her throat, and she was sure he could feel her pulse thrashing in her wrists underneath his hands. He had her hands pinned above her head.

"How about this?" he asked, dipping his head down and brushing his lips against her neck.

"W-What are you doing?" she gasped, wiggling underneath him.

"Just trying to prove a point," he chuckled in her ear.

"You're not proving anything."

"Well, damn. I thought this would be emotional enough for you." He nipped at her ear.

"This is physical, Gajeel." She tried to ignore that goosebumps he was giving her. "Are you drunk?"

"Wow, you really think the only way I'd do this is if I were drunk?" he retorted, collapsing on his side next to her once again. "I'm just messing around, shorty. Come on, you know me."

They had only known each other for a few months, but he was right; she did know him. "I guess."

He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "Where's that excitement, huh? Isn't that your new goal?"

Levy bit her lip, trying to stabilize her thoughts. The whole reason for their friendship beginning was because she wanted her life to be a little more exciting. Without a second thought, she flipped over on top of him, straddling him with her hands on either side of his head.

"This exciting?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"Why don't you let me show you some emotion? Does that sound exciting?"

She swallowed and licked her lips. "Sounds innocent, yet exciting enough."

She saw his grin through the dark, and he gently caressed her face, bringing her down slowly to meet his lips.

The kiss was softer than she could have ever imagined Gajeel could manage. His lips were warm and managed to slide over her small mouth easily. He licked her lower lip, and just as she was about to let him in, she heard a, "What the hell?" come from behind her.


	6. Knight

"Lucy!" Levy exclaimed, startling her enough to fall off of Gajeel.

"Gajeel!" Lucy screamed, and threw a pillow at him. "Unbelievable! You came in and took advantage of poor little Levy in the middle of the night! And why the hell are you in our room?" In between each scream, Lucy found something new to throw at Gajeel.

"Ow! Calm down, blondie!" he retorted, slapping the things away when they came near him.

Lucy ran out of things to say, so she just started screaming. Just then, Natsu and Gray busted through the door—Natsu without a shirt and Gray in just his boxers. Levy shrieked and covered her eyes (oh so maturely). Gajeel screamed obscenities, attempting to keep Lucy from throwing the mattress at him. Lucy just screamed.

"What's going on in here?" Natsu asked, trying to take in the scene before him. Gray tried not to laugh at the two struggling on either side of the mattress.

"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed, and ran and hid behind him, glaring at Gajeel. "That beast over there was taking advantage of poor little Levy!"

"Lucy, calm down," Natsu said, wrapping an arm around her. "He was just making sure you guys were alright."

"Geez, blondie, you're stronger than you look," Gajeel said, stretching out his arms.

"He had Levy trapped, I swear!"

"Lu-chan, it wasn't what you think," Levy defended, her hands still over her eyes.

"Levy, I don't know what the hell is going on, but we're getting out of here," Lucy said, bouncing over and taking Levy by the wrist, making a wide circle around Gajeel. "This obviously isn't our room."

Lucy tried to tug Levy out of the room, Natsu and Gajeel tried to stop her, and Gray shrugged, shuffling back to his room.

"Lucy, you really need to calm down."

"Blondie, it's not what you think."

"Lu-chan, you're hurting me!"

"Everyone shut up!" Lucy screamed, effectively silencing everyone in the room. "I have no idea what's going on, but I know a big gorilla man tried to molest my best friend, I'm not in my room, Natsu looks really hot shirtless, and this is all affecting my beauty sleep!"

"Lu-chan, that's not what happened."

"What the hell do you mean gorilla man?"

"You really think I look good shirtless?"

"Whatever!" Again the room fell silent when Lucy yelled. "We can sort whatever did or didn't happen later. Come on, Levy." Lucy began pulling on Levy again.

"Ow, Lucy stop!" Levy yelled, snatching her wrist away from her. "I'm tired of you dragging me around!"

Levy hadn't intended on saying it, but the adrenaline rush from everything going on and the lack of sleep caused her to blurt it out. Levy slapped her hands over her mouth, Lucy's jaw dropped, and Natsu and Gajeel remained motionless.

After what felt like hours of silence, Lucy said very quietly, "I'm sorry Levy. I was only trying to help."

"No, no Lu-chan, I didn't mean to say that," Levy quickly defended, resting her hands on Lucy's shoulders. "It's just…I can take care of myself, okay? I promise there was nothing dangerous happening in this room. I was just…momentarily distracted."

"Distracted?" Gajeel scoffed. "Well, this night just keeps getting shittier."

"Technically it's morning," Natsu interjected.

"Shut up, Natsu!" everyone yelled.

Natsu made a motion of zipping his lips and sat patiently on the edge of the bed.

"Gajeel, I didn't mean it like that," Levy said.

"What exactly was going on?" Lucy asked.

"Apparently nothing," Gajeel said, shrugging.

"Gajeel—"

"We're probably all just sleep deprived," Lucy said, cutting off Levy. "Let's just get some sleep and forget about all of this."

"Wait, I—"

"We should go," Lucy said. "I'll, um, see you guys tomorrow."

She quickly walked out of the room, leaving Levy gaping between her and the boys, unsure of whether to go after her or stay and try to defend herself.

"Maybe you should go with her," Gajeel suggested to Levy.

"Gajeel, you can't honestly be upset because of my poor choice of words, can you?" Levy asked, her eyes starting to sting.

"No way," he chuckled. "I don't have any feelings, so why would I be upset about one stupid little word?"

"This is not the time to be an asshole," Levy told him, crossing her arms.

"Oh, so first I'm a distraction and then I'm an asshole?" he asked, a smirk forming on his face. "Good to know."

"I don't want to deal with you right now," Levy huffed, turning on her heel and stomping through the doorway.

"Yeah, just go follow after your little master!" he called after her.

"You're such a dick!" she yelled back without stopping.

Levy quickly walked out of Natsu and Gray's room, jogged out of the building, and started running after she touched the pavement, ready to just fall asleep in her own bed and wake up like nothing happened, like it was all just a nightmare. Except for that kiss. It was more thrilling than she could have imagined, something straight out of a dream, but it didn't mean anything. It was just for fun. If that was the case, then why were she and Gajeel acting like four-year-olds?

Whatever the reason, Levy would sort it out later after they'd both gotten some sleep. Gajeel was a fairly reasonable person when he wasn't being an asshole… which was, like, ninety-five percent of the time.

In the middle of Levy's running, something caught her arm and caused her to fall backwards, her butt hitting the sidewalk.

"Ow, what the—?"

"Levy-chan!" she heard the familiar voices of Jet and Droy say behind her.

"Oh, guys!" she said, slowly standing up and turning around to face them. "What are you guys doing out so late?"

"We were so worried about you!" Droy told her, grabbing her hand.

"Yeah, we heard you took a nasty fall at the party, but when we came to find you, you were gone," Jet said, taking her other hand.

"You guys were at the party?" Levy asked, trying to remember if she saw them there.

"Oh, Levy!" Droy cried, crushing her into him.

"Droy, I can barely breathe!" Levy choked out. She inhaled sharply and caught a whiff of alcohol coming off the two men. "Have you guys been drinking?"

"Levy, don't ever leave us!" Jet begged, dropping to the ground and wrapping himself around her legs.

"Guys!" she screamed, struggling, but they wouldn't let her go. Sure they were her close friends, but they were really scaring her. She didn't know what to do. "Gajeel!"

But there was no knight in shining armor to save her. She panicked, her eyes darting in every direction for an answer to how she could get out of this.

"Lucy! Anybody!" she screamed. "Guys, you're suffocating me!"

"Let her go," she heard a menacing voice say, but she couldn't see who it was behind Droy.

"Oh, it's you," Jet said, glaring at her savior while rising from the ground. "Stay away from Levy-chan."

"Yeah, every time she's around you, she gets hurt," Droy said, pulling Levy closer to him.

"Can't breathe," Levy choked out.

"I can say the same for you two," the voice said, just as dark as before.

"Help," Levy wheezed, trying to slip out of Droy's grip.

"I suggest you leave," Jet said, disappearing out of Levy's line of sight until Droy turned to watch the action.

She should have known the voice of her savior belonged to Gajeel, but it didn't sound like his usual sarcastic, gruff voice. It was deeper, scratchier, menacing. She'd never seen him like this. His eyes were narrowed, and the way he angled his head made a half shadow form over his face, adding to his intimidation.

Jet closed in on Gajeel and gave him a shove, but Gajeel barely faltered. Jet turned to look at Droy with a sense of accomplishment, but before he could step away, Gajeel grabbed Jet's arm and twisted it.

"Ow, what the hell, man!" Jet yelled, struggling. "Let go!"

"Keep struggling and I'll break it," Gajeel told him, keeping his hold.

"Yeah, right, man! Let go!"

Gajeel smirked and kept twisting. A small pop came from Jet's arm, and he freaked out.

"Let go you're gonna break it!" he screamed, trying to pry Gajeel's hands off of him.

"That's the point, genius," Gajeel scoffed, shoving Jet to the ground.

"Droy!" Jet called.

"Let her go, tubby, and I won't hurt you," Gajeel threatened, stepping closer to Droy.

Droy was afraid; Levy could feel him shaking.

"Droy, let me go," she whispered.

He looked down at her, eyes wide and worried. He squeezed her tightly in some form of hug, and then let her go. Levy ran to Gajeel, wrapping her arms around his midsection, and Droy ran to Jet, helping him off the ground.

"Get out of my sight," Gajeel growled, wrapping his arms around Levy gently.

The two men checked to make sure Levy was okay, and then shuffled in the opposite direction.

After a short moment of them holding each other, Gajeel asked in his regular voice, "You okay, shorty?"

"Yeah, just a little scared," she said, pulling away from him. She looked up at him to see him staring down at her. "Are you?"

"Just pissed," he said, tucking a strand of hair that fell out of her headband behind her ear. "I couldn't let them hurt my girl."

Levy's eyebrows twitched. "Your girl?"

"You're supposed to be my little pet, right?" he asked, a grin forming on his face. He ran the back of his hand down her face.

"Oh, right," she said, her face falling a little.

"Unless you thought I meant something else?" he suggested, cocking an eyebrow.

Levy bit her lip and looked around. "Can we, um, go inside somewhere? Not really digging standing in the middle of the sidewalk when it's still dark out."

Gajeel chuckled. "Don't trust me?"

"I just had a run-in with my two drunken friends," she said. "I'd prefer not to have anymore."

"I'll walk you to your room."

xXx

After a few minutes of walking, they reached her dorm building. Levy waved a short good bye to Gajeel, and walked toward the door to the main lobby. Gajeel reached out and grabbed her hand before she could go in and pulled her back to him.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he told her, planting a small kiss on her forehead.

"Okay," she said quietly. Then she left.

XxX

The rest of the week continued normally. Lucy calmed down easily with a minimal amount of explanation—though she gave Levy plenty of hell for kissing Gajeel. Natsu and Gray weren't traumatized by the night's events, and Natsu won't let Lucy forget that she said he looks hot shirtless. Droy and Jet don't really remember what happened that night, but they promised Levy that they'd watch how much alcohol they consumed. As for Gajeel, he was exactly the same.

"Just talk to him," Lucy said. "Clearly you love him."

"Oh, I do not!" Levy said, throwing a pillow at her. "I'm just confused."

Lucy was lying on her bed and Levy was lying on Lucy's floor. They were having a good old-fashioned girls' day. They gave each other pedicures and were now laying around talking about boys.

"I get you there," Lucy sighed. "I don't know if Natsu likes me or not."

"He so does!" Levy told her, motioning for Lucy to give her back the pillow she threw. She obliged.

"I like to think so, but why hasn't he asked me out then?"

"Gajeel told me Natsu doesn't have a clue when it comes to girls, so maybe he doesn't know," Levy informed her, fluffing the pillow behind her head. She propped her legs up on the side of Lucy's bed to admire her orange toes from the floor.

"Well, he needs to get a clue," Lucy said, grabbing her fingernail file and caring for her nails.

"Why don't _you_ ask _him_ out?"

"Psh, yeah, I'll do that right after you talk to Gajeel about that kiss."

"I'm gonna do it!"

"Yeah, right," Lucy laughed. "You and Gajeel have an intimate conversation? Not likely."

"I'll go right now!" Levy cheered, bouncing up. "I think I still remember the room number he told me."

"He told you his room number?" Lucy asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah, a few weeks ago in case I ever needed anything," Levy said, shrugging.

"Aw, he does care!" Lucy cooed, cracking herself up.

Levy threw her pillow at her and ran out of the room before she could return the blow. She slipped on flip flops at their door and called, "I'll be right back!" before leaving on her mission.

xXx

Levy took a deep breath before knocking on the door to Gajeel's room. She stood there for a minute, and just as she was about to knock again, a shirtless Gajeel answered the door. Levy choked.

"Oh, what's up, shorty?" he asked nonchalantly, leaning against the door frame. Music was blasting behind him.

"I, uh, just wanted to talk to you for a minute," Levy said, trying not to gawk at him. Sure, she could tell he was chiseled just by hugging him or whenever he picked her up, but she never thought she'd be able to actually see his defined figure up close.

"Sure, thing," he said, shrugging and moving out of the doorway so she could step in.

She carefully stepped in the doorway, taking in her surroundings. The small living room that comes with each dorm was cleaner than she'd expected, but also extremely empty.

"Me and my roommate don't really spend much time together," he explained, noticing her expression. "He's not here right now, so just make yourself at home."

Levy nodded and sat down on the small couch against the wall. Gajeel walked into his room and paused the song that was playing and then joined Levy on the couch.

"What song was that?" Levy asked, trying to make small talk before she had to dive into the awkward conversation she came for.

"Oh, it's a mix I made," he explained. "I told you I'm here for music production."

"Wow, I can't believe you haven't played any for me before," she said. "That's pretty amazing."

"Alright, you didn't come here to compliment my music, so say what you've gotta say," he said, poking her in the shoulder.

Levy took another deep breath. "Okay. I, um, I wanted to… We need to… You see…"

"Spit it out already—"

"Why did we kiss?" she blurted out.

A minute of silence followed. Levy stared at her hands, and Gajeel watched her.

"Well, we did it for fun, didn't we?" he asked.

"Fun?" Levy raised an eyebrow, looking up at him.

"Yeah," he said, shrugging. "Making out with people is fun, isn't it? And we did it for excitement. Come one, when's the last time you kissed someone?"

Before Gajeel, she couldn't remember. Maybe high school? Her sweaty prom date?

"I guess you have a point," Levy said. "I can't remember the last time I kissed anyone. Although, all the kisses I've had have never been fun."

"I'm offended." He faked a pain in his chest.

Levy rolled her eyes. "I'm not counting you."

Before Levy knew, Gajeel smashed his lips against hers in a frenzy of kisses. When she was finally aware of what was happening, he pulled away with a grin.

"Maybe you should," he said, and wiped the corners of his mouth.

"Oh shut up," Levy said, and crushed herself against him. Maybe this could be fun.

* * *

**So, I didn't want to make Jet and Droy the bad guys, but I needed someone. And thanks again for all the love. This story has been a blast and I love hearing everyone's thoughts.**


	7. Prince Gajeel

**Thanks so much for the support!**

* * *

"So, is he any good?" Lucy asked, nonchalantly filing her nails on the couch in their small living room.

"Is who good at what?" Levy asked, only half paying attention. She was more concerned with keeping Mario from being stampeded by mushrooms in her DS game.

"Gajeel, duh!" Lucy said, bopping the bluenette on top of the head with her file.

Levy only twitched from the impact. "What about him?"

"Is he a good kisser?" Lucy asked, causing Levy's aqua DS to slip her little hands. Mario's death song played, and Lucy chuckled. "I mean, he has to be if you keep doing it."

"He's just getting me back into practice," Levy said, shrugging and grabbing her gaming console. "I'm gonna go on a real date soon with some lucky boy. You know, spice up my life. That should give you something to write about!"

Lucy looked at her roommate from the corner of her eyes. "Is that what this whole Gajeel thing is about? My novel?"

"You said I needed to be more exciting, and Gajeel offered to help me with that!" Levy said, leaning back against Lucy on their couch while starting up her game again.

"Levy-chan, I know this may sound a bit harsh, and you can totally disagree with me, but is Gajeel, maybe, using you?" Lucy asked. It pained her to say it.

Levy snorted. "Why would he be using me?"

"Well, you kind of threw yourself at him like a damsel in distress, so maybe he thought he could take advantage of you and make you think he was helping you?"

"Lu-chan, why would he use a little girl like me, when he can satisfy all of his little lustful needs with the billions of busty girls on campus?" Levy asked, quickly eyeing her own flat chest before deciding she didn't want to go down that road right now.

"You're beautiful, Levy-chan!" Lucy said, stroking the bluenette's hair. "You have the same chance of being used as every other girl on the planet. It was just an idea. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Lu-chan, I'm perfectly safe, I promise!" Levy told her, patting Lucy's thigh quickly before rushing back to make Mario jump on a turtle. "Your novel and Gajeel have honestly encouraged me to have more fun, and I'm still keeping my grades up. Everything seems perfect right now."

Lucy nibbled on her lip. "You will have to stop doing things like this with Gajeel once you get serious with someone, you know? It's fun now, but it's going to be hard going back to a normal friendship."

"You don't think we have a normal friendship?" Levy asked, putting down her game.

"Normal friends don't make out the way you guys do."

"Well, it's not like we do it publicly," Levy said. "You only know it happens because I've told you, which I'm starting to regret."

Lucy's face flashed a bit of hurt. "Sure, on the surface you look like normal, close friends. But, knowing that this is what goes on underneath, I think you guys are a lot closer and a lot deeper than you think."

"You're not the love guru or anything, Lu-chan," Levy pouted.

"So you love him?"

"No! Why do you think that?"

"You brought it up."

Levy sighed. "That isn't what I meant."

"I think you're confusing yourself, Levy," Lucy said, patting her roommate on the shoulder.

"I think I am, too," Levy whined, lying in Lucy's lap. "Maybe we're not normal. I don't want to be a super strange person who thinks it's okay to make out with all of her friends!"

"Then why not stop it now?" Lucy suggested, stroking the blue hair splayed on her lap. "It was nice to remember what it's like to kiss someone,—because who can remember when you had your last boyfriend—but it's enough now."

Levy sighed. "I think you're right, Lu-chan."

"And if you don't want to stop, I think that says something about you."

"Like what?"

"You'll figure it out."

Levy groaned.

xXx

"So, you think we're weird?" Gajeel asked her from across the small café table, raising a pierced eyebrow.

Levy nodded, sipping on her rather large coffee. She needed plenty of energy to have this conversation with him. She knew it would be like talking to a fence post.

Gajeel shook his head. "Whatever you say, shorty."

"You don't agree?" Levy asked.

"I aim to have fun and make sure you're happy, too," Gajeel told her, shrugging. "If you think we're weird, then we're weird, and we should…stop…our…weirdness?" He wasn't quite sure what he was saying by the end of it. "Is that what you want?"

Levy took a long drink of coffee, not caring that it burned her throat, and nodded, avoiding looking at the large man across from her.

"Well, alright then," Gajeel sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I've had my daily dose of awkward for the day, so I think I'll head to the garage and see how much work I have ahead of me."

"Don't work too hard," Levy laughed. "We can go do something later if you're not too busy."

"Sounds like a lovely date."

"Not a date. I thought we were gonna stop the weirdness."

"This is my thing. Stop trying to change me."

Levy rolled her eyes and kicked him under the table. He sniggered and stood up, patting her on the head. Levy shrieked and fussed with her headband, glaring at the large man standing above her.

"Why do you always feel the need to do that?"

"Because it annoys you," he chuckled.

He stepped by her to leave the shop, giving her a quick kiss.

And they both froze.

Gajeel coughed, breaking the silence between them. "Um, that…that didn't happen."

"Right," Levy laughed nervously, looking away from him and taking another long sip from her cup.

Gajeel nodded at her and hastily strode out of the small campus café.

This would be harder than both of them ever imagined.

XxX

Juvia laughed at what Levy and Lucy just explained to her. Repeatedly.

"Gajeel-kun actually wants to make you happy?" Juvia laughed, wiping tears from her eyes. "Gajeel-kun doesn't even treat Juvia that way unless Juvia cries."

"I told you, Levy-chan," Lucy sighed. "It's not going to be easy to just drop it."

"I CAN FIX THIS!" Levy yelled, earning them plenty of strange looks from around the ice cream parlor they were sitting in. Lucy assured her ice cream is always the answer, and they invited Juvia along and explained Levy's predicament to her, hoping she could help them talk to the emotionally constipated Gajeel.

"Juvia is happy that Gajeel-kun has finally taken an interest in people," Juvia said, clapping her hands giddily.

Lucy giggled. "Juvia does have a point. I can't see Gajeel as a caregiver."

"And Juvia is glad no one is competing for Gray-sama," Juvia added to her previous statement.

Levy and Lucy exchanged glances.

"So you'll talk to him if things continue to be…weird?" Levy asked the other blue-haired woman. Honestly, she had to think of a better word for their situation besides _weird_.

"Juvia will help in any way she can," Juvia assured her, flashing a smile.

"Maybe we should get Natsu to help, too," Lucy suggested.

"Natsu is about as emotionally constipated as Gajeel," Levy said. Juvia nodded in agreement.

Lucy looked offended for her not-quite boyfriend. "_Speaking of Natsu_, he and Erza are throwing a birthday party for Gray this weekend and we're invited. No presents from broke college kids required."

"No parties!" Levy shrieked, rubbing her head where the bump used to be from the last party.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "I promise it really is just a bunch of our close friends this time."

"Erza-san rented out the ballroom on the second floor of the student center for Gray-sama's party," Juvia informed them. "Only the best for Gray-sama!"

"How did Erza book the whole ballroom for a birthday party?" Levy asked.

"She knows people," Lucy said, shrugging. "Look, I promise it will be nothing like the last one."

Levy sighed. "I'm going for the cake."

"Sure you are."

xXx

Levy made sure to stay by the food table the whole time, ensuring she wouldn't injure herself again (and she'd also be one of the first people to get cake). Lucy and Juvia hadn't lied: it really was nothing like the other party. There were no flashing lights or fog machines, just bumping bass from the DJ and streamers and balloons all over the room. Gray's friends were all there, which also included a majority of Levy's friends, including Jet and Droy who wouldn't leave her side. Levy observed the party with the two men, denying Lucy whenever she tried to drag her onto the dance floor with her and Natsu, but kept eyes on her throughout the night.

"Fun party, huh, Levy?" Droy asked, nudging the small girl in the side.

Levy shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. I'm not one for parties, but at least it's a lot calmer than the last one."

"You got that right!" Jet said. "We wouldn't want you getting hurt again."

"It was an accident last time," Levy told him. "No one could have predicted it."

"It was that Gajeel guy's fault," Droy said.

"Yeah," Jet agreed. "Dude just brings trouble with him."

"It wasn't Gajeel's fault," Levy sighed.

"Why do you even hang out with him?" Jet asked.

"He's fun," Levy said with a small smile. Her heart rate started to pick up, just like it did every time she was with Gajeel.

"We're fun too," Droy interjected, sounding hurt.

Levy giggled. "No need to be jealous, guys. You're still two of my best friends."

The two men sighed, but seemed content enough.

Just then, Lucy ran up to the trio, taking Levy's hands.

"Levy, have you seen Natsu?" Lucy asked. "He said he was going to grab a drink, but he's not over here."

"Calm down, Lu-chan," Levy told her, squeezing the blonde's hands. "You grab a cold drink, and I'll go tell Natsu to meet you over here. You're all sweaty and need to cool off."

"Thanks, Levy-chan!" Lucy said, giving the small girl a big, sweaty hug.

Levy pushed her off, grimacing. "See if you can find a towel, too. I'll be right back, guys!"

The bluenette finally left her position at the food table and searched the spacious room for pink, spiky hair. How hard could it be to find him? There weren't that many people.

Levy found him standing in a corner with Gray and Gajeel. Walking up to the small group, she caught wind of the conversation they were having.

"So, when are you going to get with her?" Natsu asked, clapping Gajeel on the back.

Levy froze. _"Her?"_ Who were they talking about? She didn't want to keep listening, but she couldn't move. A lump grew in Levy's throat, making it difficult to swallow.

Gajeel gave Natsu a less-than-gentle punch in the arm for touching him. "Why are _you_ asking me that? You don't know the first thing about girls."

"He has a point," Gray confirmed. "And I hate to admit it, but so does Natsu. You've got to get with her."

So Gray was in on it, too? But who were they talking about? Juvia said Gajeel doesn't really talk to any girls besides the two of them, and they would have denied it if they were talking about Gray-crazy Juvia. Were they talking about Levy? It was suddenly becoming very difficult for her to breathe.

"Now I'm getting a lecture from the stripping bastard, too?" Gajeel sighed.

"Hey! I've kept my clothes on all night!"

"_Anyway_," Natsu said, pushing Gray out of the way. "Go for it! Levy ain't gonna stick around forever!"

That's when Levy's stomach dropped. Either they were talking about her, or they were talking about the girl he was going to replace her with. Wait, _replace_ _her_? He wouldn't replace a friend…but maybe he could replace whatever he considered Levy to be.

"Cut it out!" Gajeel hissed. "You guys don't—" That was when Gajeel's red eyes met with Levy's enlarged hazel ones. He coughed. "What's up, shorty?"

Levy's mouth moved, but no sound came out. Her eyes darted over to Natsu. Right, she was there for Natsu, not to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"You okay, Levy?" Natsu asked.

Still no response from the frozen Levy. Gajeel and Gray exchanged a look, and Gray gave Gajeel a nod.

"You heard everything, didn't you?" Gajeel asked. Levy gave a nod so small that she wasn't sure if they saw her move at all. "Damn. Look, shorty, I'm sure it sounded strange, but—"

"No." Levy's voice didn't sound like her own; it sounded mangled and forced, like she just gargled nails. "I came here to find Natsu. I don't need an explanation."

Gajeel pushed Natsu back by the forehead when he tried to step up to the small bluenette. "Look, I'm not sure what you heard, but—"

"_No!_" Levy yelled, causing a small crowd to stare at them. "You don't have to say anything. Lucy was right: you're just using me."

"Using you?" Gajeel asked. "Levy, where the hell did that come from?"

"Whatever," Levy growled, looking at Natsu instead. "Lucy is waiting for you by the food table. Tell her I went home."

Natsu swallowed. "O-Okay. But, Levy—"

"Happy birthday, Gray," she said before casting a final glare at Gajeel, turning on her heel, and running straight for the door."

"Levy!" Gajeel called after her, but she didn't stop. She was finally able to move again, so she didn't stop.

She slid through the double doors leading into the ballroom, blowing past all of the party guests, and barreled down the flight of stairs, tears blurring her vision. Why did she always end up running away from their fights? Because they were too public for her? Why did they always fight in the first place? A poor choice of words?

Levy slipped off the last step, her hip colliding hard with the tile floor below her. She stood up, dusted off her skirt, and kept running out of the building and down the sidewalk.

No, it wasn't a poor choice of words. All the words were right, and she knew what she heard. Gajeel just wanted to "get with her". He didn't care about her feelings at all. She should have confronted him when Lucy put the idea of him using her in her head. She didn't think it was true at the time; how could it be when they were such close friends, and you _don't use friends_?

Levy didn't notice it was raining until she stopped running several streetlights past the building she was in to catch her breath. She clutched herself and wheezed, out of breath from both running and crying. She squatted close to the wet ground, trying to make herself as small as possible. She always felt better that way.

Perhaps she cared more about Gajeel than she wanted to admit. He was something new in her life, something different, and she loved it. She felt a rush from it, from _him_. Maybe that's why this hurt so much.

"You're really short, you know?" a gruff voice asked behind her after she cried for what felt like hours.

She jumped and faced it, falling back on her hands.

Of course it was Gajeel. It was always Gajeel.

"That's what makes it easy to keep up with you," he continued. "Your short legs are no match for mine."

Levy scoffed and fumbled up, wiping her nose on the back of her wet sleeve.

"It's pouring, and you forgot your jacket, didn't you?" he asked.

She glared up at him, but he wasn't looking at her, instead gazing up at the streetlight above them.

"Didn't I come save your ass last time you ran away from me, too?" he chuckled, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Levy folded her arms and turned her back to him, glancing around the dark campus.

"Are you gonna talk to me or not?" he asked, taking a step closer.

"Bastard," Levy spat over her shoulder, walking away from him.

He chuckled, and then snatched her wrist, stepping closer to her, only to step back again when she whirled on him.

"_No!"_ she screamed, releasing herself from his hold. "I don't have to speak to you. I have every right not to! So, just stay the hell away from me and go find yourself a new plaything!"

"What the hell do you want from me?!" Gajeel screamed back, his voice echoing off buildings.

The two stared each other down, their bodies soaked and wet hair sticking to their face. It was no light rain shower.

"I want you to care," she squeaked.

"I do!" he shouted. "I'm not good at it, but I do! What was all that bullshit about me using you, huh?"

Levy squeezed her eyes shut, fight-or-flight instinct telling her to choose the latter option again, except when she turned to run, he latched onto her arms and kept him facing her.

"You can't keep running away from me, Levy!" he yelled. "Tell me what the hell is going on! What's your problem?"

"I'm scared, okay?!" The two looked at each other again in silence, new hot and angry tears pouring from Levy's eyes. "I-I'm scared of what you want from me."

"What I want _from_ you?" he asked, his voice finally softer. He averted his eyes for a while, looking like it pained him to say what was coming next. "I just want to be near you."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

"Look, I know I'm not good with all of this mushy, chicky _shit_, but I'm gonna try, okay?" he sighed, releasing her and pacing. "All I want from you is to let me into your world, to keep me in your _life_. Shorty, I've never had as much fun as I've had with you, and, damn, it pisses me off to see you reacting like this because I don't know what the hell you possibly want from me—"

"I want you to care about me!" she interjected, raising her voice again. "I don't want you to just play with me and let out whatever sexual frustrations you have on me."

"I do care!" his voice matched her volume, causing her to stagger from his sudden loudness. "I care more than you know, and I just… I don't mean to play with you! There's no way in hell I could ever use you! I…"

"What?!" Levy asked. "How can you possibly explain what was going on in there, huh?"

"Maybe I like you!" he screamed, punching the light pole. The streetlight flickered. "Maybe I like you, and they were telling me to ask you out, but I didn't know how, and I didn't want to screw anything up between us!"

"Well, so much for that!" she screamed, gesturing wildly between them.

"I didn't want it to turn out this way, but you're so angry, it just happened!"

"I'm angry because I didn't want to get hurt, and you shot that horse in the face, didn't you?" Levy yelled. "Maybe I like you, too! Maybe I just couldn't tell you because I felt like you were too high above me that I didn't stand a chance!"

"So we like each other?!"

"I guess we do!"

Gajeel crushed his lips against Levy's, picking her up until she was level with him, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, tangling her hands in his hair. They stayed like that for a while, kissing each other in the pouring rain, letting their anger run its course.

Gajeel placed Levy back on the ground when they were both out of breath and panting.

"Can we stop yelling now?" he coughed.

Levy nodded, propping herself against him in fear she might fall over.

"I'm sorry, shorty," he whispered loud enough to be heard over the storm. "I didn't mean to… I…I'm sorry."

Levy nodded again. "Me too."

He pulled her into him shortly, just long enough that she didn't drown from the water wringing out of their clothes from the sudden pressure.

"So, what does this mean?" she asked, looking at a puddle instead of at him.

He tapped a finger under her chin, steering her head so that her eyes met his. "It means you're mine, and I'm yours. Deal?"

She looked between them, then back up at him. "Yeah."

* * *

**Not sure how much longer this story will have, but it's not over yet! Tell me what you guys thought! This was so fun to write!**


	8. Royal Court

**It hasn't been that long, right? Thank you so much for all the support! This story is a blast to write! And 100+ followers? You guys spoil me!**

* * *

"Are you sure about this, shorty?" Gajeel asked, looking around the dark room skeptically. He could've sworn the big, burly man wearing the leather vest in the corner was giving him bedroom eyes. Gajeel shuddered.

"About eighty-five percent sure," Levy confirmed, rubbing her hands together and flipping a page in a binder full of small works of art.

"What's the other fifteen percent?" he asked, looking in the binder over her shoulder.

"Well, about five percent adrenaline and ten percent fear and feeling like I'm going to wet my pants," she explained.

"You know, no one is forcing you to do this," he told her, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"I know, Gajeel," she said, taking a breath and springing up out of the small plastic chair she was sitting in. "This was my idea, and I'm going through with it!"

"You know tattoos are kind of permanent, right?" Gajeel asked, standing up next to her. The small plastic chair practically had his knees in his throat; it was good to stretch out.

"I've always wanted one, I was just too scared to get one," Levy told him. "I'm doing this."

Levy closed the thick binder with one finger left in it, saving her page. She marched over to the front counter and showed the man the one she wanted. Gajeel peeked over her head to see which one she picked out, only to have her slap her small hands over it before he could get a good look at it.

"It's a surprise," she told him.

"I'm gonna see it when I go back there anyway," Gajeel said, starting to follow her to one of the chairs set up in the back.

"I am twenty years old, Gajeel. I can handle this by myself." With that said, she shooed him away with her hands and continued to the back without him.

Gajeel returned to one of the small, cramped chairs, bouncing his legs while waiting for his blue-haired girlfriend to be done.

"She'll be screaming for you in no time," a voice said beside him.

Gajeel turned his head to see the man that was checking him out before came to sit next to him. He cleared his throat and looked away quickly, careful not to make eye contact.

"But until then," the man suggested, sliding his hand onto Gajeel's knee.

Gajeel quickly fell out of his chair and scrambled across the room.

xXx

"You're really not going to tell me what tattoo you got?" Gajeel asked hours later when they were sitting in Levy's favorite corner of the library. She thought his story about the man hitting on him the entire time she was getting her ink done was quite hilarious. Gajeel wanted to slap the new bandages on her healing shoulder blade.

"You can see in a few hours when I take the bandages off," she answered, flipping a page in her book.

Gajeel shrugged and went back to reading his own book, but then stared at his girlfriend out of the corner of his eye. "Have I ever told you that you look absolutely adorable with your glasses on?"

Levy turned to face him, pushing her red reading glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Once, but you were making fun of me."

"I would never."

"You do it all the time."

Gajeel rolled his eyes and leaned forward, planting a small kiss on her forehead. It was hard for Levy to believe, but Gajeel was actually being a decent boyfriend. They'd go on dates every now and again, and he even bought her a stuffed panda bear (mostly because she pouted about how cute it was until he got it to shut her up).

"Thanks, sweetie," Levy said, to which Gajeel wrinkled his nose and she laughed in response. She was still testing out cute pet names for him. Gajeel seemed pretty content with calling her "shorty".

The couple went back to reading in silence, but Levy watched one of Gajeel's long legs continuously twitch from over her book. He was getting restless.

"Does your butt hurt or something?" she giggled, but he almost cut her off.

"It's not something stupid like my name, right?"

She blinked a couple of times, trying to process his question.

"You mean the tattoo?" she asked slowly.

"Yeah," he said, not meeting her eyes.

She paused for a minute, chewing on her lip. "You think that's stupid?"

Gajeel slammed his book down. "Oh, shorty, really?!"

Levy busted out in a fit of giggles. "No, stupid! Geez, how dumb do you think I am?

He let out a sigh of relief, unconsciously resting a hand on her knee as he returned to reading his book; Levy followed suit. Their reading was short lived.

"So, shorty, I was thinking—"

"That's dangerous."

"—maybe you should calm down with all of the adventurous stuff. You're allowed to have lazy days."

"I sit and read all the time," Levy said, rolling her eyes while continuing to read her book.

"But today you got a tattoo," Gajeel told her.

"So?"

"And yesterday you wanted to drive my motorcycle."

"Yeah?"

"And the day before that you wanted to go sky diving."

"What's your point?" Levy asked, finally putting down her book to focus on her boyfriend.

"You have your whole life to do crazy things," Gajeel said, shrugging. "I like you just being your little dorky self."

Levy bit her lip. Maybe she had been going a little crazy lately. She wanted to make sure she was interesting; that's why the two of them started hanging out in the first place. Was she doing it to make sure Gajeel stayed with her?

"I guess I just wanted you to think I could still be fun," she whispered. "Guess things have gotten out of hand recently."

He rested a hand on her shoulder. "Us sitting here a reading is plenty. You're fine, shorty."

Levy blushed under his gaze, her eyes darting from his eyes to his lips. Gajeel must have had the same idea because he leaned in a kissed her.

"Keep it PG!" The two were startled apart by a new voice joining them.

"Must you always do that?" Levy asked, glaring at her roommate standing before them.

"It's just fun now," Lucy giggled. "I actually came here to ask you guys something and not just annoy you."

"Sounds like the same thing to me," Gajeel grumbled.

The blonde shot him a glare before continuing. "Natsu and I were planning on trying the new restaurant that just opened right outside of campus, and I was thinking we could make it a double date!"

"No," Gajeel said without stopping to think.

"Gajeel!" both women chastised, causing Gajeel to wince and cover his ears.

"We'll be there, Lu-chan," Levy answered.

"What?" Gajeel hissed.

"Oh, come on," Levy said, rolling her eyes. "I've done everything you wanted to do with me, so now it's your turn to follow me. This is far from adventurous, anyway."

"I'm not going to some frou-frou dinner," he said, crossing his arms.

"Good luck, Levy!" Lucy told her roommate. "I'll see you guys tonight at seven."

As Lucy walked away, Levy swatted Gajeel's shoulder.

"We're going."

"No."

"I will force you."

"I'd like to see you try."

"You'll never touch me again."

"…Fine, we'll go."

Levy did a victory dance and planted a kiss on Gajeel's cheek. He groaned and flopped over.

XxX

"This is stupid," Gajeel groaned, looking over the menu at the dimly lit booth they were sitting in.

"You're mean," Lucy told him from across the table, wrinkling her nose.

"And _you_ have too much cleavage showing," he retorted, staring at her chest and then back at her eyes.

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest, which was clad in a dark red halter dress. "Levy!"

Levy swatted Gajeel on the arm without looking away from her menu. "Be nice."

"I'm just saying, it's no wonder Natsu acts so stupid all the time if she keeps dressing like that," Gajeel said, gesturing to Lucy.

Natsu payed attention for the first time after hearing his name. "What happened?"

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "See?"

Levy laid her menu down and slowly turned toward Gajeel. She tried her best at her most menacing look, though he always said she looked cute when she was angry. "Would it kill you to be nice?"

Gajeel made a scene of choking and dying on Levy's shoulder. She shook him off, but he found it humorous.

"I would take that as a yes," Natsu laughed, reaching to fist bump Gajeel over the table. Gajeel sneered at the pinkette's hand, then reluctantly obliged when he saw he wasn't going to put it down.

"If you don't want to be here, Gajeel, you can leave," Levy sighed, resting her cheek in her palm.

"That's an option?" he asked, smirking.

"Sweet!" Natsu exclaimed, springing up out of his seat. Lucy pulled him back down.

"See?" Gajeel said, gesturing to Natsu. "Even Salamander doesn't want to be here!"

Lucy looked confused at Natsu's nickname. "_Natsu_ is not going anywhere. Right, baby?" She stroked the side of his face.

Natsu seemed to settle down at her touch. "Right."

"_Whipped_," Gajeel coughed, grinning wickedly.

"What?!" Natsu snapped.

Before the fighting could proceed any further, Levy gained everyone's attention by slapping her hands on the table. "What's your problem?"

"Clearly we don't want to be here," Gajeel chuckled. He abruptly stopped at the sour look on his girlfriend's face.

Quietly, Levy stood and slid out of the booth, easily maneuvering because she was on the outside. She gestured with her arm for Gajeel to move. Everyone stared at her dumbfound, unsure of what her intentions were.

"If you don't want to be here, leave," she simply said.

"You want me to leave?" Gajeel asked after a moment of pondering.

"I'd rather you leave than sit here and be an ass hat," she told him, prompting him to raise an eyebrow. "So are you going or not?"

The two of them stared each other down while Natsu and Lucy looked on. Everyone was silent until Gajeel finally shrugged and looked over his menu. Levy let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and returned to her seat, raising her menu as well. Natsu and Lucy exchanged confused glances, then shrugged and returned to their menus, giggling behind them.

Gajeel leaned over after a while to whisper in Levy's ear, "You're so sexy, shorty."

A blush spread across Levy's cheeks, but she smirked nonetheless. They would be fine.

* * *

**Just a chapter to see how their relationship is going. There will be one more chapter in this story before it is done! It's been so much fun writing this, and thanks for the support.**

**Fear not, I already have a new idea for a Gajevy/Gale story, so be looking for it!**

**Also, if you're interested in some Grayza friendship, go check out the story for my BroTP called **_**We're Alright**_**.**

**I also might write a new Jerza story and maybe some Gruvia. No worries, Gajevy is number 1! I love you guys so much, and see you in the finale.**

**Thanks bunches!**

_Reviews are love._


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